22nd Nov2020

The Nest (Film)

by timbaros
A marriage is on the verge of collapse in the new film ’The Nest.’THE+NEST+STILL+5
Set in 1986, in an era before mobile phones, ’The Nest’ follows young couple Rory (Jude Law) and his beautiful wife Alison (Carrie Coon) in their move from suburban America to Surrey. Rory, a cocky businessman, takes up a new role in a small firm in the City of London, so he has uprooted his family (which includes a teenage daughter and a younger son) to live in the sticks – Surrey that is – where he has rented a mansion in the middle of nowhere (and paid the rent upfront for a year). Rory has big dreams for him and his family, he also has a big mouth and exaggerates all the time. Having grown up in England, he has outgrown his birth family and hasn’t spoken to them in years. But his ego, and big head, get the better of him, and a deal that he assures Alison will yield a big pay check is not forthcoming. Alison, meanwhile is happy at home tending to her horse and their two children. But who knows what Rory has up his sleeve next, and when he asks her to borrow money from Alison she knows something is terribly wrong with their finances. And so do we. Their marriage starts to unravel, as does Rory’s career, and it all comes crashing down one night where the tension and drama explode like a runaway train.
1986 was two years before the Wall Street crash, and in ’The Nest’ we see how bankers assumed it was easy to make a lot of money in banking. But the crash instead collapsed dreams and expectations – and that being very wealthy would not transpire for many. Law is just about perfect as a man who has visions of grandeur, while Coon (A Gillian Anderson lookalike who has starred in ‘Gone Girl’ and the television show ‘Fargo’) matches Law scene-by-scene. And while the finale might scratch a few heads (why does Alison try to dig up her dead horse from it’s grave?), ‘The Nest’ is a very well-acted and gripping film.
’The Nest’ is now available on VOD.
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19th May2017

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Film)

by timbaros

KA-15164r5‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ is Guy Ritchie’s telling of the story of the legendary and some would say mythical life of Arthur who was orphaned at a young age but who became a King and the man who would become synonymous with the Excalibur myth. Charlie Hunnam plays King Arthur in this film which is visually spectacular yet leaves a lot to be desired for it’s silly plot and poor casting choices.

When Arthur’s father the King (Eric Bana) is murdered (in a scene played over and over and over again), his uncle Vortigern (Jude Law in a very meaty role) seizes the crown. But the very young Arthur, who was cast adrift on a boat during the murder, has to grow up the hard way, and from the very beginning is unaware that he is the son of a murdered King. As he grows up, he is helped along the way by a band of warriors, but it’s when he pulls the sword from the stone is his mission clear – he needs to get back the crown from his uncle, no matter at what cost.

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No expense was sparred in this film, which cost $200 million to make, and it shows in every clip. From the most amazing costumes to the glorious scenery to the spectacular special effects, and even down to the monsters and serpents that provide this film an amazingly dark and scary and fun tone. We even get to see an old Londonium – shown to great effect. But there are some distractions and poor choices that take you out of the story (and will make you unintentionally laugh). David Beckham’s two minute scene as a soldier who prompts Arthur to pull the sword is disastrous because Beckham can’t act and his voice too soft for the part. Another bit of bad casting are most of the men who make up Arthur’s coterie – they all have geezer accents! It must be a case of Ritchie casting all of his friends to be in the film, and while these men can act, their accents are all alike! And Hunnam, while nice to look at, is a very wooden King Arthur.

But don’t worry about all of this. It will only cost you £15 to watch this film – it’s worthy because it’s a film fully of fantasy and mythology that while doesn’t quite live up to it’s hype, it is, for the most part, entertaining and escapist – and that’s the experience we all want when we to go the cinema.

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